Hearing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before sports games is something we all do, but have you ever thought about why it’s played?
The song “The Star-Spangled Banner” is more than just a song; it’s an iconic national anthem that tells the story of a key fight in the War of 1812. It has become an important part of American sports culture, but people still have different ideas about whether or not it is necessary.
People often don’t think much about the familiar sounds that fill stadiums and grounds before a game. But have you ever thought about why this practice started?
The sad times of World War I are where the answer lies. That’s when the song became a strong symbol of national pride and strength.
An important moment
It became customary to play the national song at sporting events during a very sad time for the country. In the late 1800s, military bands would sometimes play the song for baseball fans, but it wasn’t until March 3, 1931, that Congress made “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official national anthem.
But people in the US had already started to understand how important it was.
Game 1 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs on September 5, 1918, had a key event.
The events of this game took place in the middle of World War I. That same month, the U.S. Army began the Meuse-Argonne Campaign, which was one of the biggest offensives in American military history. There had already been more than 100,000 American deaths in fight in Europe.
To make things even worse, a bomb went off in Chicago the day before the game, killing innocent people and throwing a dark shadow over the celebrations.
The game was delayed because of rain, and only a little more than 19,000 fans showed up at Comiskey Park, which is a big drop from the normal 32,000. The mood was sad, but when the U.S. Navy band played the national anthem in the seventh inning, everything changed.
A series of events
A report from the Chicago Tribune says that Red Sox shortstop Fred Thomas, who was in the Navy but was on leave to play in the World Series, saluted the American flag. After this player did something, other players did the same. When the song ended, there was thunderous applause throughout the stadium, turning the mood into one of unbridled pride.
According to the New York Times, this was “the highest point of the day’s enthusiasm.” After that, the song became a big part of later games. As a way to celebrate veterans who had been hurt, the Red Sox gave away free tickets to veterans, and they paid tribute to them during the national anthem at Game 6.
More ballparks added the national anthem to their ceremonies as the spirit of pride spread across the country. Before it was officially made a national anthem in 1931, the NFL made sure it was played at all football games. This quickly spread to most major sports.
“Heard everywhere,” as author Marc Ferris writes in his book Star-Spangled Banner: The Unlikely Story of America’s National song, the song became so popular because of changes in sound systems during World War II. It became a symbol of American pride “before the opera, before the movies, before the theater,” he says.
A tense argument
For decades, people have disagreed about whether or not the national anthem should be played at sports events. As early as 1954, some people were worried about the behavior during the show. In response, Baltimore Orioles general manager Arthur Ehlers briefly banned it, but later changed his mind after public backlash.
A sports radio talk show host named Guy Mainella caused a stir in the 1970s when he said the national anthem glorified war victories and didn’t belong at sporting events. “It’s not the Battle of Iwo Jima, it’s a game we’re about to watch,” he said.
In the past few years, the debate has grown, especially since Colin Kaepernick’s protest against racism and police abuse. Peter May, a longtime sports writer, asked a question that made me think:
“Would any of us be less patriotic or less willing to help the troops if teams agreed not to play the song at all?” He also said, “You only hear it at sporting events…” It’s not played at the opera, the theater, or the music hall… We don’t know why, but the song has become a part of our sports culture. You can’t go to an NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL game and not hear it.
It was a controversial move by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to stop playing the national anthem at home games in November 2020. He did this to show support for the player-led social justice movement. Many people were angry about this choice. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called it “a slap in the face to every American.”
“It’s hard to believe this could happen in Texas, but what Mark Cuban did yesterday made it clear that we need to make it clear that before all big events in Texas, we play the national anthem,” Patrick said.
After a lot of pressure from leaders in Texas the next year, the NBA brought back the national anthem at Mavericks games.
What do you think?
As we can see, people have very different thoughts on this tune. Some see it as a tribute to heroes who have died, while others say it represents the American experience as a whole. What do you think? Should we keep up this beloved practice, or is it time to move on?
In the end, “The Star-Spangled Banner” means different things to different people because of their own views and experiences. Is it okay to play the song at sports games?
Were we supposed to only use it when we were truly patriotic, like after 9/11? Or should we use it more for personal reflection?
What do you think? Should we keep up this beloved tradition?
